Difference between revisions of "Germany"
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| − | A country in central [[Europe]], home to 82.4 million people. It is | + | A country in central [[Europe]], home to 82.4 million people. It is a federal democracy. Germany is one of the worlds leading economies. |
==Pre-Soviet era history== | ==Pre-Soviet era history== | ||
Revision as of 19:35, March 15, 2007
A country in central Europe, home to 82.4 million people. It is a federal democracy. Germany is one of the worlds leading economies.
Pre-Soviet era history
Prior to 1871, Germany was divided into a multitude of small principalities and the occasional large monarchy (such as Prussia and Austria). After a victory over France in the French-German war of 1870/71 Germany was unified under a single government on january 18th 1871. The country was devastated by a major defeat in World War I, and it was further impaired by terms in the Treaty of Versailles that forced them to pay compensation to the Allies for damages related to the war. They were also forbidden from developing any substantial military. However, these terms made the treaty unpopular in Germany, and this led in part to the public discontent that allowed the Nazi Party to rise to power. Led by Adolf Hitler, the Nazis promoted an agenda of virulent anti-Semitism and racism while hoping to avenge their loss in World War I. Germany invaded Poland in 1939, which touched off the European portion of World War II. Six extremely deadly years followed, as the Germans conquered much of Western Europe and started a program of genocide, killing six million Jews and millions of other people (such as disabled persons, homosexuals, and Communists) in massive death camps. Their war with the Soviet Union was particularly costly to both sides, as both armies suffered enormous casualties in the German attempt to capture Moscow and their subsequent withdrawal. Eventually, the Allies opened a second front by invading France in 1944. The Germans were unable to fight on two fronts, and they were beaten back until Soviet forces occupied Berlin in May 1945.
Soviet era history
As World War II was resolved, the Western powers and the USSR jockeyed for control of Europe, with Germany being divided among the United States, the British, the French, and the Soviets. The Soviet portion--which was the eastern area of Germany--became a communist state, while the portion controlled by the western powers became a capitalist/democratic state. The German capital, Berlin, was located in East Germany, but it was divided among the four powers, with the Soviet portion being separated from the rest by the infamous Berlin Wall.
